Production of electrode elements.



UNITED STATES PATENT oEEIcE.

THOMAS A. EnrsoN, or 1.x.1aevnnnif1rv raux, WEST ommen, New JERSEY, vitssmn'on To EDISON STORAGE BATTERY comm, or wes-r ommen, :mw JERSEY, A con- PORATION 0F NEW JERSEY.

PRODUCTION OF ELECTBODE ELEMENTS.

Snecma-ation of Letters Intent.

Paten-tea sept. 19, 1916.

on' grml application med :une 11', 1910, serial nu. mmh. binden mi un application mea August a1, me seriale. 359,362.'

To all whom it may concern.'

Be it known that I, Taunus A. Eorsox, n citizen of the United States, and a. resident of Lileivellynl Park, fest Orange, Essex county, New'Jersey, have invented eertuin new and useful 1m rovements in the Production of Electrode laments, of which the following is a description.'

My invention relates to the production of electrode elements for storage batteries and more especially to a process for mlu'ng the sume.

.ily invention comprises nu improvement upon the method of making storage battery electrodes disclosed in my Patent No. 880,979, grunted March 3, 1908. y

My prior npplicntion Serio] No. 561,371, tiled .lune l?, 1910, on which Patent No. 1,115,463 was granted on October 27, 1914 nml of which this application is ,a division, contnius claims on the improved electrode element produced by the process forming the subject matter of this application.

My improved process hns been perfected particularly furthe purpose of carrying on in an improved manner the automatic filling and tnmping of nctive material into Small perforated tubes, the ends of which are adapted to be subsequently closed, after which a number of such tubes will be mounted in a suitable grid to constitute a storage buttery electrode, as described in some of my previous patents. It will be unders however, that the invention muy be used for other purposes.

The objects of my invention nre chiefly directed to the production of an improved electrode element comprisin n perforated tubular pocket containing n tei-nete layers of active mnterial and conductive material rontnincd therein underhigh pressure.

Some 'of the `particular improvements re-4 sidiJ in the mnnnenin which the active mo tcrinl is louded within the tubc and in the manner of applying pressure tothe material in thc tube by tnmpilig, so es to compress the muterizil within the tube adjacent to the mills of the sume :it least as highly as in the renter of the tube, to insure firm contnt-t between the layers of conductive ma,v torinl fir-il the walls ofthe tube, und to iu .sure uniform distribution of the materials tion comprises within the tube. Consequently, my invenprocess for loading and tnmp the material within the tubular electro e in such a. manner as tol form on electrode having the desired characteristics Other objects of my invention will appear in the following specification and appended claims. v

'It is extremely'important that the active material and conductive material should be contained within the inclosing tube in such :i tightly compressed condition that relotive movement of the conducting llnlies and the active material shall be prevented. The active nnd conductive material should be uniformly distributed in the tube and good contact always preserved between the conductive material and the active mnternl and the tube itself, which is also formed of coriductive metal. In my present invention, I loud the tubes by feeding alternately small increments ofactive. materiel, as nickel hy- ClroxidF and Il.` conductive material, as nickel fluke, into the tube, and compressing the sume preferably by delivering a tamping blow upon the material in the tube after euch alternate charge. I. have found that the best results nre obtained by imparting si rotating or centrifugal motion to the active material as it is fed into the-upper end of the tube, so that us it begins to fall into the tube, it is in the form of e rotating or swirling ring or hollow cylinder closely adjacent to the inner walls of the tube. me of this material is deflected toward the center of the tube by c ontuct with the inner wells thereof, but n considerable'portion falls .ad-jacent 'to the fnlls of the tube so that' a Inyer of quite uniform thickness is thus formed in the tube.

The apparatus prefer-'ably employed in carryingout my .improved process .comprises n plungerl which isi lopemted to deliver tamping blows upon the material after each increment of conductive material has been fed therein. This plunger is formed with u tamping face which is preferably hollowed out in n. curved' form nt the oenter, und which ie so formed ns to first strike the materinl in the tnbe'ut some distance from the center. The tampingv fnce of the plunger also preferably slopes away from the por- Viis ' lower en fl of the sumo. Fig. 4o'

. scnlvns Fig. 4.

process may be carried ont nur illustrated um. ne darned o me wenn edge, nl@

result be' that the material is more tightly compl' ncnr the edge than in the center of the tube, and the material-1 adjacent to the. walls of the tube in forced into Hrm contact with the latter' by the sloping portion of the tnluping falce. B this. means, lirm contact of the nickel ilu e adjacent to th wolle of the tube with thclattel" und with the active material is assured; The layers of uctive und conductive material are n'lso mmpreescd in a -bentor wavy form by this notion, so that thc urea of the sume is increased. Y

My cnpcndin application Serial No. $2376. tiled Marc i 6,' 15H6 and entitled Tube filling und tnmping machine, is a division hereof and 'conhiins claims covering my iinprored apparatus. Inorder thnt a clear understnnding of my invention muy be hud, attention iB directed to the accompanying drawinle forming part of this specxlicution,V and 'illnitrnling one forni of apparatus by which mi' improved Y .also illustrating the improved cleclrmle element formed thereby.

ln the drawings, Figure 1 represents a vertical pnrtinl cross section through 'n tube filling und tmuping nmchine for' cuhying out my improved proces, some of the parts being shown iu sirle elevation. Fig. 2 mprescnts n Vpnrl'iul crosssection taken on line 2--2 iu Fig. 1 smile of the pnrts being shown in side elerntion. Fig. 3 represents the hnupiug plunger employed in the machine in side elevation.4 Fight is nu enlarged longitudinal cmsis section of the 5 4is n bottom plus ricwof thc sume drawn to the sume Figa il isun enlnrged detnil. partly in :nde elevation nucl partly insection, of lthe rotating hopper shown in Fig. l. llig. is :l bottom p un vieu' of the sume; nml Fig. b' s-n partiul longitudiunl cross sel-tion through nu electrode element prolured h r my improved pricess.

The pcrforulel mutui tubular poclrcl: l ie Hnpportcd in u vertical position 'within the holder or ,tube Support 2, the projection 3 extending upc-unl v n slight distance upon a thuv lower rnd of tlnl tube to forni u sup .ort-

for tln` umterinl to lnlmuleil therein. he awliiro mnh-rin! 4. which prcfrhllnly contains liurli" llivillml nickel liyzlroxill, is cmltuiued within n hopper 5, :unl liu. conductive malvrnl l. whirl: is pfcruhly elurtl'olytirnlly xntirr uirlnl llnln'. is rontnilwll within n hopper sllllv Sie prinbled with :x pm-lut ll for l-:lrrying: the nctirc mutui-inl in :Unull uniform iln'rvuu'ntu from llw l'mvcr uml of rhuh' Ill los-vulling from hopper :'l lo tln- |||l|wr ond ll of tubes l1' by which it ili-I into llw hopper ll, from u'hirh it I supported in tube' holder 2.

contact between.

'the tube..

rnlity of tubes ut the same ."comprisea' e tube 32 ytinn-tted iutom sleeve 13' worm 34 carried iipou shaft Licenze Slide or earrir 8 isriprocated in slide ways 14 by means of link 15 connected tolever IB which is sdllated about shaft 1li by means of eccentric 18. The nickel flake 6 is fed forwardly in measured increments from the lower end of chute 19 downwardly from hopper 'Z into the upper end of tube 1 et a point inst; below the lower end of hop r 13.- The charges of nickel linke orcon uct-ive material alcfed into the tube by means of slide or carrier 2O` which is reciprocutefl within guides 21 b connection with linkf22 which-is'conn Y to crank 23 which is pii'oted ou Shaft 24. Link 22 is pinned to vcrunk 23 at 25V and this point revolv about center 26, reciprocating the slide'tl) ns described. Tamping plunger? extends through the center of hopper 13 und is-lited by means of ratchet wheel '28 upon shaft 29 which coacts with ratchet teeth 3U formed u u slide hconnected to the u per edge of p un r 27 to' lift v the latter an -allow it to fnl successively. within tube 1 bc deliver tnm'lping blows u n the material in t will be un erstood that'lrst n charge of active material is introduced into the tube, then a charge of conductive material, after `which the lun r is operated to compress the materie wit 'n the tubeI and the` c ele of operation is continued until the tube is filled, a complete machine embracing a plurality of similar parte for lling :i plutinxe preferably being employed. nlthough only one tube and apparatus for filling-the same are illustrated' for simplicity.

Hopper 13 is provided for the purpose of inipnrtm a. rotary or centrifugal moln'on to the nick hydroxld or active :untel-inl just before it enters the tube 1. T e hop er 18 open at both end-)s and through which the tumping plunger 27 posses. -Tube BQ has an enlarged lower por- (8e- Fg- 0) which forms thefeiternal wall of the hopper und whichhas n n upper edge portion Vlxued outwardly und u lower converging ed porlion. 0n the exterior of the. enlarg lower portion of thetubc 32 there ure provided n number. preferably two, of pairs of climi..l nels or rrooves 2i9`converging downwardly into ve ien] channels or grooves 88. 'The tube 82 hue secured upon the upper end thereof n worm wheel 83 which meshes with 35 which also fzln-ies sprocket wheel 88 which is 'driven by` sprocket chain 37, the. latter being druiven .from :i sprocket wheel by sha ne shown. The result of this coustructinis that when nn increment-.of native material is delivered by tubes 12 into the upper endof rotating ho per 13, the finely divided active mnterin fu ,through chnnels 39 into chunnclr; 38 wi in hopper 18 where it hns imiml'llll lA) il. the mtlry motion of hopper lli' rial, the active material being' introduced.

iherein chiely a'jacent te the inner wall of the pocket, and applying pressure tu the material in the packet site? alternate. charges 11iglich n manner ns tn cause the vlayers o'f alive material to bend upwurdljff" udjxicent to the wsllsoi the pocket, sub stantially as descibecl. f

7, 4The process af fo'x'ming a szorage battery eleclrode' element, which 'consss in intrmlncing Within a perforated tubular comlctive ocket alternate layers of iin-:ly divided nctn'e material and conductive material in Suche manner that the-.active mw teral does not tend to hen'p up unevenly in I lie' pcket,' und applying pressure to the `inaieiul in l the pocket ifter alternate charges in such :inmzumer as to canse the layers 'of active-material to bend :uljncent to he-w'nlls of 'the puc-kei? no rm Contact llescriherii i .8. The ploeess nf fmmmg :i stm-mfc Emtle'ry elec'tl'mle elemeni-` which consists in illtrdnfrin'g within :1 perforated tubular cnndlur'tive poc-kut altem-nnte luy-ers of finely. divided, ntive mutcrnl :irlldmumluetive 2nu- {gerial ini-such a manner tlv t he active rimeria! doeg do@ gen-ta-haurup'mveixiy in material in 't ie 'pocket :iftexj alternate charges, sz bstnntally as described.

9. The method of making un 'electrode element, which clonsiss in intrduing nltermbev increments' of Aruzave matei'ial' and flake-like conductive materal within -a tubular perforated pocket or reeptecle and compressing the material, subsantiaily as 'alternate increment ufer its introduction thai-ein, substantially as described. I

iL/Ehe met'zhed ,ofinakiug un electrode element, which ccnsists inf introducing :alberntc inciemenfs of' uctiv'e mutui-inl sind linkelike conductive Amaterialiwith-i1: a tubulin; perforated pocket m receptacle, 11ml applying hunpingpressure -there'tz5, substantially :is described;

This specification signi-l :n.141livtnesseil` this 17th day cf August, Mill. I

'THCSl L 331315( BEST AVAILABLE COF,

materiali, and applying tampilg pmessmie im zlfteneadl 'altnat charge, .aubstaml' Jv @s h described..- r

6. The process of fmfmng f'mmga am 5 tel-y velel'ofbe element. whtih mig im in troducing Within u )paix-mmm? tubsl duvctve pockrlttelmae ovided :juvenmeraL :1 d comin. rial, the acbve ma? 'Lvl .be-rw" 10, therein cejjg/ adjacffm the pocket, am? ["pl/ matern in the chzu'gs Sirf mb A, i 'layers of :ic-tw@ mate 15 zldju'cent to the Wa" stantialy as 7, VThe process Pf 'terry' eetlode dem intmdmng Within 20 comhfrtve poemi: divided activ@ )mf wim ter'a in such u, mllmm h tex-inl does not :te-nd. im hea 'the pocket, und Appyug 35 material in y the ]mu.

le Walls of "h5 sul It is hereby certified that in Letters Patent No. LIQSALZ, granted Suplmnher 19', 1916, upm] the upplnntnu nf 'Imnms A. Edaun, of Llewellyn Park, Wirst (mngu.

New Jersey, fur un mpzmment in Prmlurhnn nf Elm-,brodo IIlemmus," :m errur appears in the primed spwiffznion requiring correction as folows; Pago iirw` ,Jl!`

for the wurd Talk4`l rami walls; and that the said Letters Patem snnud he rend with this correction therein that the same muy conform tu the. record of the anso in th Patent Ocn Signed and sealed this llth day of Mcnruury, A. D., 1917.

R. F'. WHITICHEH.

` {SEAL} Acting Gommissioner of Patente. 

